Jamon Iberico de Bellota: What price would you pay for pig?
By Jennifer Silverman
What if the swine was dry cured for over 24 months? Or it was raised, free-range, amid the shady oak forests of southwestern Spain? How about if Wilbur gorged on nothing but 20 pounds of fresh, fallen acorns every day for the last three months of his highly worthy life?
Well, for those of us with a gastro-maniacal bent, the answer is $169 per sweet porcine pound.
Yes, Jamon Iberico de Bellota, the bling bling of ham, has finally arrived. It's been three years since the USDA gave approval to just one Spanish producer, Embutidos y Jamones Fermin in La Alberca, to raise, cure and import the ham for sale in the US, and at long last, the not-so-little piggies are ready for market.
So I went to the gourmet Spanish grocery, Despana, for a taste. As store manager Alex Velez lovingly hand-carved off about $20's worth of thin, jewel-colored, fat-swirled slices, he explained the ham's special qualities. Known as Pata Negra ("black hoof"), the Iberico pig is a descendant of wild boar and is the last free-roaming pig in Spain. The three-month acorn-exclusive ("bellota") diet before slaughter gives the ham its distinctive, highly flavorful natural fats - fats that literally oozed out of the ham as it was sliced.
I won't use the word "moist," but for meat that's been curing in salt for over two years, the Jamon Iberico de Bellota's texture is deliciously supple. It has a deep, rich flavor, almost reminiscent of caramel in its intensity. It is truly scrumptious...and gone way too quickly.
So, is a pound of Jamon Iberico de Bellota worth more than a JetBlue trip to Ft. Lauderdale? It all depends on your level on commitment. But I can say with certainty, don't deny yourself a few slices for $20.
Where to find Jamon Iberico de Bellota In NYC:
Despana
314 5th Ave, 2nd Floor408 Broome Street
between Lafayette Street and Cleveland Place
Phone: 212-219-5050
*Make sure you're buying "Jamon Iberico de Bellota." Fermin also produces other, less costly varieties of Pata Negra, but they are fed different diets and/or prepared from different parts of the pig.
Jennifer Silverman is a writer and omnivore living in New York City.
